Think outside the box (or range)

Another holiday tip – you’ve got a slow cooker. USE IT! (And if you don’t have one, get one.)

Back to is your kitchen big enough? Do you have enough burners on your stovetop? And the answer is always no, even if you’re kitchen could be a studio for a cooking show.

So how can I make this hosting the family thing easier? If you’re like most Americans, you’re trying to include traditions from all sides of the blended family, while taking care of special dietary needs, and trying to one up your sibling who hosted last year, but in a low key friendly way. And you have to do all this without breaking a sweat with a smile on your face and a jig in your step.

The slow cooker is your secret weapon. This year I did a butternut squash soup, which could have been vegan if I used vegetable broth instead of chicken. I started the soup at 8:00 and set it on low for six hours.

It’s just going to cook away in the the dark corner of the countertop, filling the house with aromas of squash, apple & cinnamon, while I do anything else.

I’ll have a hot appetizer/first course ready to go. It’s also a good way to give yourself a bit of cover if the turkey takes longer to cook than you had planned.

If you don’t have a slow cooker you really should get one. A basic model is about $25 at Target/Walmart/Amazon. And honestly, the basic model is the one to get.

I’m also a big fan of using the slow cooker for weeknight meals. Start the thing in the morning and go to work. Come home at night, make a salad and dinner is done. I’ll have some more slow cooker posts over the winter.